Song Review:: Taemin (SHINee): Eternal- Sexy in the Air

• Release date: 2024 August 19

• Album tracklist: G.O.A.T, Sexy in the Air, Horizon, The Unknown Sea, Crush, Deja Vu, Say Less

• Album runtime: 21 minutes

    As the inaugural review for this new blog, I had to go with Taemin. I know this is a few weeks late, but better late than never and it's at least still in August. Hello, and welcome!

    As his first album under the new company, I'm sure most fans approached it with mild or moderate hesitation. 

    Luckily, I don't necessarily think we need have worried too much. 

    The song opens with some grindy electric guitar, an element I have to admit I'm a fan of in general. It reminds me of a science fiction dystopia film at night in the rain during a chase, which is a specific image for me that isn't at odds with the music video.

    The verses lose that guitar, turning into more of a generic trap sound that unfortunately loses my attention, but turns the dystopia into a sleek and sleezy nightclub. I think my favorite part of the backing music is when the guitar and the trap combine, which gives me a very good mental image. 

    Sleek and sleezy are the way to go through much of the rest of the song. The occasional return of the guitar keeps it from being just sleek and sleezy, and the bridge does just enough to turn the song into something suitable for an action film. 

    Hollywood, get on that.

    Through it all, Taemin's vocals seduce their way around the backing instrumentals. Whatever else is going on in the background, Taemin sounds like Taemin. This is the sound he is good at and what fans have come to reliably expect from him. If it had been too different from what we have heard before, I would have had serious questions. Instead, we get a track that is solidly Taemin and fitting fully within his niche he's found for himself. Leaving SM has not changed that. I particularly like that in the credits, we see his name in the list of composers. I don't need every artist to have a hand in all aspects of their music, because that is asking for too much. Not everyone has a gift for writing or composition. But I do like to see the artists' names pop up somewhere in the credits as that tells me they had a hand somewhere in their own music. 

    But, as impressive, well-trained, and distinct as Taemin's vocals are, that's not what so many people love Taemin for. The Idol's Idol, as he's called, is, simply put, an arresting performer. He draws the eye with his intensity and his pedestal-worthy dancing, something the music video shows off incredibly well. Taemin when he is performing is when he is at his best. Very few idols approach his level of skill, and even fewer surpass it. One thing I did find curious is the prevalence of male dancers, something he's lessened over the years by increasing the number of female dancers he's had. Not that he necessarily decreases the number of female dancers he has here. I just found the return of the inclusion of the male dancers interesting. The music video is very much in tune with Sexy in the Air itself, but also connects, between the visual elements and the choreography, Taemin where he currently is and where he used to be. There are shades of Move, Guilty, Criminal, Danger, etc., present in the choreography. My personal favorite part of the choreography is that slow, feline prowl he does so well. Simple? Yes. But the amount of charisma and control required to pull off a move like that without looking silly proves that Taemin belongs at the top.

    I'm not necessarily sure that I'd add this to my playlist to listen to frequently. The guitar at the beginning catches my attention, but I wish it had more of that grindy quality throughout to give more texture to the song. Sexy in the Air, in other words, does not grab me by the throat and hold me hostage. But, it's still a very solid song that should ease concerns over Taemin leaving SM. The agency is not why Taemin is so well-loved. Taemin is why Taemin is so well-loved and both the song and the music video prove this.

Once the music video is re-uploaded to YouTube, I'll return it. In the meantime, I'll include one of his stages.